Written by DAVID KEYES

February 10, 1999

Quick: what do a queen of England, a playwright, a holocaust victim, and a world war army all have in common? They are all associated somehow with the recent Academy Award nominations, announced Tuesday morning at 5:30. The event, anticipated by critics, viewers and filmmakers everywhere, was to some extent a surprise and an outrage all at the same time, as some films were dreadfully overlooked by the Academy and others received the nominations for categories unexpected.

The most nominations given out to a movie this year was a total of 13, and they went to (surprise surprise!) "Shakespeare In Love," followed by 11 for "Saving Private Ryan." John Madden’s Elizabethan England film earned nods from most of the major categories, including picture, actress, supporting actor and actress, and director. Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan" also picked up similar nominations, following a reissue to theaters on Friday, February 5th. Yet, aside from all the great nominations given, some were incredibly ridiculous or overshadowed.

The list starts with problems right at the top: the best picture category. Indeed, "Elizabeth," "Life Is Beautiful," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Shakespeare In Love" are all deserving of the honors, but why did they nominate Terrence Malick’s "The Thin Red Line?" The movie really wasn’t that good, to most extents, and yet the categories I expected nominations for (like actor) didn’t even get final consideration. Malick’s movie has some great style in cinematography and sound, but essentially, it is just not simply an Oscar contender.

One of the overlooked movies was Peter Weir’s "The Truman Show," which was expected to get numerous nominations, including for picture and actor. Yet it walked away barely with any nods. Jim Carrey was overlooked (not surprising, though), and the movie’s only big nominations were for director (Weir) and supporting actor (Ed Harris).

Meanwhile, the brilliant Italian filmmaker Roberto Benigni got nominated in both acting and directing categories for his outstanding work on the picture-nominated "Life Is Beautiful." As it looks, "Shakespeare In Love" and this movie could be two of the biggest contenders in the major categories. However, if you don’t already know that "Saving Private Ryan" will likely get the best picture Oscar, then you’ve been living under a rock since last February. Spielberg’s epic was the most acclaimed film of 1998, earning a spot on 100-something best lists (mine exempt).

The main acting categories are by far the strongest this year. Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, Nick Nolte, and Roberto Benigni all get nods in the actor category, accompanying a surprise nominee (and one of my 1998 ‘long-shot’ choices), Edward Norton for his spellbinding role as a recovering neo-nazi in "American History X." The actress category contains, namely, more surprises than the actor: Fernanda Montenegro for "Central Station," Gwyneth Paltrow for "Shakespeare In Love," Meryl Streep for "One True Thing," and Emily Watson for "Hilary And Jackie." None of them seem to be a serious competition with the category’s obvious choice, Cate Blanchett, for her stirring role in the Shekhar Kapur’s masterwork "Elizabeth." This is clearly one of the best performances given by a female in history.

Further down the list is where the actual shockers begin to emerge. In sound effects editing, the Academy nominated (gasp!) "Armageddon." Can you believe that? One of the loudest, deafening and ear-popping films of the year got a nod for sound? Ugh! The movie also got a nod in special effects (?) and another for best song, which is okay, since Aerosmith have deserved an Academy Award for years, if not decades. The musical score poses some big competition, as the two Disney animated features "A Bug’s Life" and "Mulan" go up against "Patch Adams," "The Prince Of Egypt" and "Shakespeare In Love" in the comedy/musical category. The dramatical score includes some deserving nods, like "Pleasantville" and "Saving Private Ryan," but like the actress category, the obvious choice goes to "Elizabeth."

The year’s most left-out films included, among others, Jonathan Demme’s "Beloved," Alex Proyas’ "Dark City," the infamous sequel "Babe: Pig In The City," and the disaster hit "Deep Impact." "Beloved," by far the best movie of 1998, merely received one nod for costume design. Two of the most visually appealing films of the year, "Babe: Pig In The City" and "Dark City," were neglected in the art direction, musical score and costume design categories, among others. Heck, "Deep Impact" wasn’t even nominated for visual effects, and yet that "Armageddon" managed to squeeze by with a nod (by the way, how did "Mighty Joe Young" place among the top three in that category?).

The Academy, whose 14 nominations for "Titanic" last year prompted huge media attention, are hoping for another successful year on television. Airing Sunday, March 21 and being hosted by Whoopy Goldberg, the millennium’s last Oscar show is sure to bring in a lot more surprises and letdowns. The nomination part is easy. Once someone proclaims "And the winner is.." you can bet that we’ll all be shivering with anticipation.